


To Nurture and Raise

by mcgoogle_random



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bellatrix Black is a good sister, Bellatrix Black is trying her best, Changing POVs, Child Hermione Granger, Depictions of Child Birth, Family Fluff, Gen, Good Parent Lucius Malfoy, Good Parent Narcissa Black Malfoy, Grey! Bellatrix Black Lestrange, Light Angst, Not Canon Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Parent Bellatrix Black Lestrange, Parent-Child Relationship, Supportive Narcissa Black Malfoy, Tom Riddle is a Bad Parent, there is some plot here, there's a lot going on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 10:01:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29312253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgoogle_random/pseuds/mcgoogle_random
Summary: When she looked in the future, where she once saw magic ruling over everything, she now saw piano recitals in the music room. Images of Tom and herself fighting side by side were replaced by ballroom lessons with Draco and Narcissa. She no longer saw him, his vision of muggle slaves and military rule. Now she saw her family, a new generation of Blacks who needed her devotion and love.
Relationships: Bellatrix Black Lestrange/Tom Riddle, Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Black Malfoy
Kudos: 13





	To Nurture and Raise

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!
> 
> So this literally started as a stream of hardly coherent thoughts so if it still reads like that, I apologize. I wanted to show how Bellatrix would interact outside of interrogations and battle plans. To me Bellatrix is complex, a combination of canon traits and head canons have given her many different layers. With this in mind, I wanted to unlock that vulnerable, caring side that she buried long ago in both her interactions with her sister and with the kids. 
> 
> This chapter takes place two years before the attack on Godrics Hallow, before Tom became Voldemort and split his soul. 
> 
> There is a scene involving a panic attack. I tried to make it as accurate as possible, but I don't have much experience writing them. If it is inaccurate or offensive, please let me know how to fix it in the comments or in a private message. 
> 
> Thank you, and I hope you enjoy!

It had been a long, grueling day. Nineteen hours of labour and still the end seemed nowhere in sight for the curly haired witch. Bella supposed that this would be some sort of karma, if she believed in such things. Payback for the dozens of lives she tortured and took. But she knew better than to waste time in believing in such nonsense. Labour, she knew from her sister, took days in the worst cases. Poor Cissy had to have Draco in a surgery room. She supposed if she did believe in karma, this would feel different some way. Like the pain served another purpose or master. Instead it was just searing pain, her body doubled over the bed they got in St. Mungos when they arrived. Narcissa was with her, she didn’t want Bella to be alone, despite the older of the two claiming she’d be fine alone. Narcissa would never tell her she saw fear in her sister's dark eyes, like Bella would never admit to the relief of having her here.

Another contraction took hold and she clawed at the white sheets beneath her. It was rough and coarse, nothing like the soft linens Cissy kept on the beds at the Manor. She gritted her teeth, trying to keep her breath even like that infuriating nurse told her too. Her sister had a soothing hand on her back. It helped a bit. 

“When is this over!” she moaned, standing as far upright as she could. Why did she ever have sex? Why on Merlin's green earth did she think this was a good idea? And to think, women willingly try to have kids. 

Narcissa let out a small chuckle and helped her sister sit on the bed. “I know Bella, I know,” she murmured. She remembered the pain all too well. She had expected Bellatrix to be more angry. She expected there to be hexes flying around the small room, harsh words being thrown at everyone who so much as looks at her. There was still time yet, she thought to herself. They waited out the contraction, which was longer than the previous one. Narcissa made sure to note the change for when the nurse came around then went to fetch her sister some ice chips from the machine down the hall. When she returned, she found Bella back in the bed, rubbing circles on her swollen stomach.

“Cissy,” she called from her place on the bed. She was shifting the pillows behind her, a trick she had shared earlier. 

“Yes Bella?” she answered, bringing her the cup of ice and offering it to her. She took it greedily with both hands before popping one in her mouth. She played with the thin gown she wore as she sucked on the frozen flakes. To Narcissa, it seemed as if she wanted to say something, but was scared of the answer to follow.

“Do you know if he’s coming?” she asked softly, confirming the blondes suspicions. They both knew who he was. The father of the soon to be born baby, Tom Riddle. Bellatrix had flooed him when the contractions started and he had said he would meet them at St. Mungos. That was almost six hours ago. Narcissa didn’t know what to say. She had heard nothing from the man. Surely if he cared he would have at least sent an owl? 

Bellatrix took Narcissa’s silence for the worse. She saw the pity in her little sisters eyes. A part of her knew he wouldn’t show up until the worst part was over and done with, just like he always did. But some silly part of her held on to that fantasy that he would be the one at her side, rubbing her back and feeding her ice chips. She hated how much it hurt her. How weak it made her feel. She felt the tears start to fall, felt her throat tighten as she begged herself not to cry. She didn’t want to cry anymore today. Then her sister took her in her arms and in the end the tears won out, flowing out of her like a burst damn. Everything hurt. Her back, her pelvis and now her heart too. She held on as another contraction came and went, clinging to her sister as if her life depended on it. She was tired. So tired of the pain, the tears. She just wanted to go home. She just wanted her baby.

And Narcissa? She cried too. Small little tears that fell on damp black curls. She rocked her like she rocked her son not too long ago. She remembered how the poor thing was plagued with nightmares for a time. Every night for weeks, there was a new monster under his bed, hiding in his closet. In a way, she thought Bellatrix was no different. Her past decisions plagued her. The decisions that almost cost her life. The ones that broke their family. She knew Bella regretted some of it. She’d heard her cry through the walls a number of times, a mournful sound that echoed through the halls when she forgot to place a silencing charm. Blinking hard, Narcissa snapped out of her musings, ignored her own sinking heart and the piercing pain of Bellas nails digging into her skin. In the end this wasn’t about her. What mattered was that Bellatrix and her baby were safe and healthy by the end of this. Over the sobs of her older sister, Narcissa heard the door open to their room. For a fleeting moment, her heart rate picked up as she sought out Tom’s lanky figure. Instead, light coloured scrub robes entered the room and stood at the end of the bed. 

“Bella, the nurse is here to check you now,” she whispered in her hair. It was soft, like her mother used to murmur in her ear after she fell out of the old apple tree. She felt the softest of nods against her shoulder and started to pull away, giving the nurse space to work. She took a new spot by the head of the bed, stroking Bellas unruly curls. The bouncy ringlets never ceased to amaze her. She took her sister's hand as another contraction ripped through her, long and painful. She felt helpless. She always did when Bella was the one who needed help. She was always strong. Always butting heads with their parents and forcing herself into roles of practiced ideals and high stature to protect them. When it became too much, when she realized what she’d have to lose, she would break down, leaving her and Andromeda at a loss of what to do. So she tried her best. Gentle touches here and there, offering an ear or a shoulder like she had when she was little. She fetched ice chips and sent owls to her baby's father, who appeared to show no interest in this stage of parenthood.  
“Okay Bellatrix, you're almost there,” the nurse said, all perky smiles and optimism. The opposite of the room's energy. Bellatrix merely nodded, fighting back the panic clawing up her throat. She heard Narcissa dismiss her and the door shut and she felt her heart rate pick up. She wasn’t ready for this. She couldn’t be a mother, not yet. And where was Tom? She wanted him more than ever, she wanted him to see this and- 

Narcissas arms were around her again. For the upteenth time this day. They resumed their earlier position, her tucked safely in Cissys arms. She never understood how Narcissa could just hold you, and make you feel better. Even when she was little and unsure of how to behave in front of big, unpredictable Bella, she always knew how to calm her down, center her. She guessed that's what made her a good mother. Her ability to connect to others around her. Feel their pain as her own. She gripped on tightly as pain tore through her again and she tried not to scream too loud into her little sisters ears. 

“I wanna go home,” she heard herself cry. It was pitiful, the great Bellatrix Black who can’t seem to stop crying. Was this what the cruciatus felt like? Was this what she put people through for sport and politics? Was this what she wanted? “I want Tom.” His name made her cry harder, pulling her half blonde sister closer, grounding herself in the silly rose perfume she wore. Narcissa didn’t say anything. She merely rubbed her back and pulled her closer, the roundness of Bella’s stomach making it somewhat hard to accomplish. 

The pain didn’t seem to wear off this time. The contractions felt longer as they merged together. Her body screamed at her to push, to end the pain. Narcissa had called for the nurse, who decided that she best prepare for the delivery. Bedridden and covered in a blue sheet, Bellatrix struggled with her emotions. Excitement and fear danced at the back of her mind while pain and anger seethed. She wanted Tom here. She wanted him to feel every ounce of pain she did because how dare he put her in a position that made her so weak? How dare he claim to love her and not show up for their child's birth? She channeled her anger into her pain, using only will power to hold off on pushing. She wasn’t ready yet. 

“Cissy,” she pleaded, her face red from crying and discomfort. Her dark curls had started plastering themselves to her face in damp strands and Narcissa did her best to keep the rest from falling in her eyes. “Cissy, can you try to call him again?” Her sister gave her a dejected look, but she still left the room to use the common floo on the maternity floor. While she was gone, another nurse took her position at her side, holding her hand and muttering words of encouragement. It wasn’t the same. 

“Bellatrix, you’re almost ready to push,” the nurse said from between her legs. 

“No! No no no, not yet! Can’t you slow it down or-” her sentence was cut off when the worst pain she had ever felt shot through her body. She screamed and gripped the other nurses hand, using it as leverage. She wanted it to stop. She really did. But she wanted him here when it did. The pain ebbed away and the nurse started talking again - something about a ring of fire - but Bella wasn’t listening. Her world seemed to start spinning and that panic that had laid dormant for a moment sprung back to life. It ate away at her conscience, telling her lies and fears and sending her in a downwards spiral. She felt her heart start to hammer in her chest before the nurses tried to calm her down. She tried to get up, she wanted to leave so badly. She didn’t want to accept it was real. She was pulling at blankets and yelling at people for her wand, she wanted her wand. They tried to coax her back into bed but she was stubborn and tried her best to just leave. 

“Bella!” she heard her sister call her name. It sounded distant, further than it ought to. Then she could see her blue eyes. Her gentle face. She cupped her younger sister's cheek softly, as if she could disappear at any moment. “Bella, I’m here, lie down. Everything is okay.”

“I’m scared,” she whispered softly, almost inaudible through her tears. She had noticed she was crying again. “Cissy, I can’t do this. I can’t, I-”

“Yes you can.”

“I don’t know the first thing about children Cissy,” she exclaimed, throwing her hands widely about to prove a point. Her sister stroked her hair, as she had done before. “What if,” she paused, the thought alone scaring her, “what if it ends up like me?”

“How do you mean?” her sister asked, confused. 

“I’m crazy Cissy, don’t deny it. I’m a bad person, hell, I can’t even lie in a fucking bed for her. I’ve done terrible things to so many people and, oh Merlin, they had families. Children. Cissy, she can’t end up like me!” she ranted, her breath coming in short intervals between statements. It was true. Every word. The more she spoke the more real it became, hundreds of names whizzing through her brian. Aunts, uncles, cousins, mothers like her self. Even her own sisters she hurt. She felt Narcissa slide into the bed behind her, wrapping her arms around her once more. The sharp pain returned again and she screamed and pushed because she couldn’t stop now. It hurt too much. Then it ebbed away again and she heard the nurses praise in the back of her mind. 

“He, or she, won’t end up like you,” her sister whispered in her ear. Bella shook her head. It was too much. Too much pain. Too many people. “No listen to me Bella. Your baby won’t end up like you, you know why? Because you would do everything in your power to shield her from it. We are not our parents Bella, Andy is proof of that.”

“But I was Cissy. I was the one who brought more prejudice into our home,” she sobbed. The nurse told her to push again. There was more screaming, more encouragement from her sister. Her body felt like it was on fire. The pain was more intense now and she begged to push again. She leaned back on her sister as she cried. She just wanted it to stop, just please stop.  
“You won’t let them end up like you , because I see the regret every time you take a mission. I see the sorrow in your eyes when you think you covered it with indifference. I know you changed Bella. And I know you still love him,” she knew she was talking about Tom. She knew Cissy didn’t understand what they had. She took a breath and continued her little rant, choosing her words carefully, “but he doesn’t look at you like you admire him. He sees your skill, not your brain. He sees a weapon, not a person.”

Bellatrix was shocked at the blunt words. She had never noticed his indifference, but the more she thought the clearer it became. He never spoke to her unless it was about missions. He never brought her gifts or took her on proper dates. The few times they were intimate, he had her on her stomach. No eye contact, no feeling. Just him. She was hurt by the truth, but for some reason she wasn’t shocked. 

Bellatrix swallowed thickly. “He isn’t coming, is he?” The question hung in the air. She knew the answer, she supposed she always did, but she needed to hear it. She needed that confirmation. Narcissa shook her head. 

“I’m sorry.”

“I know.”

With a final push through agonizing pain, her baby entered the world in a screaming fit. Bellatrix sobbed when the nurse held up her baby, looking back at her sister whose face matched hers in every way. “It’s a girl,” she exclaimed silently. For the first time that day she felt nothing but joy and relief. Her baby girl was here and safe, swaddled in a cozy pink blanket. The nurse handed her the little bundle and she took it with careful movements, as if she would shatter at the touch. She was so small. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of blue, as if the sky had been mirrored in them, but she hoped they would change to a dark brown with time. She had a little covering of black hair on her head, which Narcissa ran her hand over. Bella was fascinated by every breath, tracing her finger over her little girl's nose. She didn’t ever want to let her go.

Eventually, the nurses took her for a bath while she went through the process of delivering the placenta. It was painful, almost as if she had delivered another baby. Narcissa had stayed through it as well, which Bella was grateful for. After, her sister had left the room to call her husband and update him, reassuring him all was well. Bellatrix dosed on the bed, tired and emotionally drained while she waited for her baby. Her mind drifted, as it always did, and she wondered if he would show up now that their girl was here. Did she even want him here? He had the right to know her, to see her. But did she really want him around? Did she really want to expose her baby to such cruel teachings? The same that she had lived under and that haunted her? It was as if in the course of delivering her daughter (her daughter. It still hadn’t sunk in yet), she had shifted her views on the war and on life. When she looked in the future, where she once saw magic ruling over everything, she now saw piano recitals in the music room. Images of Tom and herself fighting side by side were replaced by ballroom lessons with Draco and Narcissa. She no longer saw him, his vision of muggle slaves and military rule. Now she saw her family, a new generation of Blacks who needed her devotion and love. 

The nurse returned with her baby and she wasted no time in scooping her up into her arms, welcoming the break in her thoughts. She shifted her weight to get comfortable in the pillows. She was still sore in places she didn’t even want to think about and the slight movement aggravated it. Her daughter was sleeping now, one arm lifted over her head having escaped the confines of the blanket. Bella smiled, tracing each small finger with her own. She was perfect. It terrified her.

Narcissa tapped softly at the door, startling Bella out of her trance. The sisters smiled at each other as the younger one pulled up a chair. “She’s perfect,” Narcissa said, voicing her earlier thoughts. Bellatrix nodded and carefully held out her arms, letting Auntie Cissy (she liked that), hold her. “Hello little one,” she cooed, smoothing out the blankets. Bellatrix watched from her place on the bed, pride swelling in her chest. “Lucius sends his best,” her sister said, not looking up from the baby. It was no secret Bellatrix and Lucius didn’t like each other. He didn’t like that she brought Tom into their home. She just didn’t like him. She just couldn’t see what her sister saw in him, though in her moment of clarity, she could understand the whole Tom thing. It irked her that her brother in law was more perceptive than her. Bella merely nodded, not about to ruin this moment. 

“And how’s Draco?” she asked. She loved her little nephew. His big toothy grin when he saw her just melted her heart. Would her daughter smile like that? Would she run up to her and latch onto her legs when she returned home after a long day? 

“He’s good. He was asking about you. He wants to meet his cousin.” The baby started squirming in her sisters arms and Bella made to take her back. “Have you thought of a name yet?” she asked once the little girl was secured in her mothers arms. 

Bellatrix had wondered when this question would arise. She had been thinking about it for a while. Names of stars and flowers floated around her head but none seemed right to her. “Not yet.” Was all she replied. Her sister nodded in understanding. In her arms, her daughter started to mewl softly, her rosy little lips pressing against the fabric of her hospital gown. “Uh Cissy, I think she’s hungry,” she stated, her voice shaking the slightest bit. 

“Okay, do you want me to help or would you rather I find a nurse?” she asked, calm as ever. 

“I would prefer if you helped,” she muttered, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. Narcissa circled the bed and helped untie the gown. It was a struggle at first. The baby didn’t seem to want to latch and Bellatrix wouldn’t stop fussing. For a moment the older witch thought she would cry again because damn it, what kind of mother couldn’t feed their own baby? Eventually the sisters figured it out and Bellatrix watched as her daughter fed for the first time. She couldn’t help her face twisting at the uncomfortable sensation. Narcissa was barely holding back her giggles, so Bellatrix sent a small zapping jinx her way and smirked when her sister recoiled. Just as she was about to retaliate, there was a soft knock on the door. 

“It’s probably Lucius with Draco. They said they would stop by,” her sister said, making for the door. As she held it open, Bellatrix watched her little sister's face drop from the smile she had been wearing. She moved to the side, allowing the other person to enter. 

“Hello love,” a voice said. A shiver went down her spine and she clutched her little girl tighter as the face of her baby’s father peered through the doorway. 

“Tom,” she acknowledged curtly, “I didn’t think you were coming.”

“Of course I would come,” he said, moving into the room. It was slow, as if he was afraid. Good. “I wouldn’t miss his first day for anything.”

“Her first day,” she corrected, her brown eyes angry, “and technically, you’ve missed half of it, so why bother coming at all.” The little girl had lost her latch and was wriggling in her mothers arms making soft little whimpers. The older witch huffed slightly in annoyance, not at her baby, but at Tom. The audacity to walk in here as if he had strolled to take a floo down the hall. As if he hadn’t left her to fend for herself like he always did. Her daughter let out an uncomfortable gurgle. “Cissy, do you mind?” she asked but the younger of the two was already grabbing her niece from her mothers arms. She noticed Tom was watching with curiosity, craning his head to see their daughter and she took the opportunity to fix her gown. Narcissa marched right by him, head high and rather offended little bundle tight to her chest. She left the room and Tom returned his focus to her. She tried to ignore the ache in her chest watching her baby leave again.

“Am I not to see her?” he asked after a moment. 

“You will. Maybe. Just not yet,” she responded curtly. “Me and you need to have a little conversation first.” She tucked some stray curls behind her ears and sat up straighter in the pillows. The movement hurt, but she didn’t dare let it show. She let him take a place at the end of the bed before she started. “Where were you?”

“I was on a mission.”

“What mission was so important that you left me alone and in pain with our daughter on the way? Hmm?” It was accusatory, harsh. She wanted the truth. She knew he was in his office the whole time. His shoes were polished, his hair slicked back with product gone dry. There wasn’t a single stitch out of place about his appearance. 

“There is no-”

“But clearly there is.” That shut him up. He looked towards the wall, his back straight, as if he had a broom up his ass. He pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled. 

“I’m sorry, ok Bella.” he sounded tired. There was silence between the two. Bella didn’t want to forgive him. Forgiving him was what he wanted. So instead she focused her gaze on the door, counting the seconds until her sister and baby girl returned. She noticed that he ran his hands through his hair, ruining the sleek style he had sported. “Have you chosen a name?”

“No.”

He sighed and dropped his head, resting his hands on his knees. “How was the delivery?”

“Painful. Terrifying. Was kept under the impression you would, you know, show up at some point.”

“Merlin woman will you stop rubbing my face in it? I said I was sorry.”

“No, I won’t stop. You had one job, show up. I didn’t ask for anything else.”

“You know what, I have business to do,” he said, standing up and heading for the door. Bellatrix was livid, and far from done with this man. 

“Since you’re so keen on leaving, you can leave my sisters Manor as well. Take your belongings and your precious missions and go!” Her throat hurt from the strain as she yelled at him. She wanted to hex him into the next millenia. She could feel her magic crackling beneath her skin, itching to be released. He paused at the door, hand frozen midair as he reached for the handle. 

“What happened to you?” he asked, confused and hurt laced together and covered in hardly contained anger as he turned to face her. So that’s how he wants to be.

“You did Tom. You used me. It took a whole new person and almost twenty hours of soul splitting pain to realize it too, because you’re just that good Tom, you really fucking are. Did you know those people had families?” her voice dropped to a deadly whisper, “That those mudbloods you had me kill while you sat there behind your closed doors had lives? They had babies, like the one you made me carry for nine fucking months. I changed, Tom. That little girl changed me. You’d be a damn fool if she didn’t change you too.” She leaned back in her pillows, letting her words sink in and taking a deep breath to mask the groan of pain at the movement. She watched the emotions filter over his face. Rage, pain then something akin to acceptance or defeat. Then he nodded, swung the door open and he was gone, leaving her alone once more.

She let the tears fall freely down her cheeks. She was tired of fighting them. So tired of fighting all the time. She pulled at the robe and sheets because it was suddenly too hot in the room. It was suffocating her, dragging her under the water of her mind. That was how Narcissa found her. She barely heard her call for a nurse, felt the thick texture of a calming drought being forced down her throat. She heard her daughter cry, and then there was quiet. 

Scratchy sheets and the uncomfortable gown greeted her out of her slumber. She felt someone beside her, breathing into her side. She slowly cracked open her eyes, squinting against the bright lights that welcomed her before closing them again. 

“Hey,” she heard her sister say. There were fingers in her hair now; soft, gentle, soothing. She opened her eyes again, this time meeting the warm, blue gaze of her sister. She felt her hand cup her cheek and she leaned into it. She had done so much today, Narcissa. She looked down and was surprised to see little Draco snuggled beside her. He had a tiny stuffed dragon in his arms and a little thumb in his mouth. “Sorry, we went outside for a moment and he just curled up and fell asleep. I can move-”

“He’s fine Cissy,” she said, running her fingers through his soft hair. She marveled over how blonde it was, how it flowed through her fingers. As she continued to marvel, her thoughts turned sour, earlier events replaying in her mind; the pain, the joy, the anger, then everything and nothing all at once.

“You look as if you held a brow of much distraction. Are you moved, my lord?” Narcissa said softly, running her fingers through Bellas hair. She didn’t realize she was so easy to read. But her sister had a smile on her face and she could feel herself start to break again. She hated crying. 

“Shakespeare? Really?” she asked, smirking to hold back tears. 

“Yes, and if I remember correctly, you were rather fond of Hermione.” The dark haired witch smiled. Memories of their mother secretly reading them Shakespeare on stormy nights surfaced. It was a sort of bittersweet feeling.

“You know me so well.”

There was a silence. Then, “Do you want to talk about it?”

She stopped playing with Draco's hair and shook her head, not meeting her gaze. She wasn’t ready to admit that Narcissa was right just yet. “Where is Lucius?” 

“He just went to check on something, he’ll be back shortly.”

“And the baby?”

“Asleep. Though you should wake her and feed her soon.”

Bellatrix nodded. “Just leave her for now. I’m exhausted.”

“Honey, that won’t change anytime soon,” her sister laughed. Bellatrix opened her arms and her little sister crawled into the bed beside her like her son had done on the other side. The older witch sighed, reveling in the quiet of the room. “She still needs a name,” Narcissa whispered. 

Bellatrix waited a moment. She had an idea but it was silly, for it went against her damned pureblood beliefs. The same ones she gave life and blood for. The ones he held on a golden pedestal like commandments from the gods. Yet, the more she rolled it around in her head, the more she loved it. She looked at the sleeping figure in the bassinet, one arm still over head in her sleep and smiled. Yes she had a name, yet she feared her sister would reject it, or worse, mock her for it. She took a breath to steady herself. It was the only name that seemed right for the newest little Black. “I’m thinking of calling her Hermione.” 

Narcissa looked at her sister and smiled. Bellatrix felt herself let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Now she would forever hear about the time her little baby sister inspired the name of her daughter. She mentally grimaced at the thought. “It’s a beautiful name.”

“Hermione Lyra Black would be her full name. Might as well follow some tradition,” the brunette concluded with a smile. She looked over at the bassinet that held her baby, charming it over so she could hold her again. Hermione. The name suited her. 

“If I may ask, why not her fathers last name?” Narcissa asked. 

“Because her father won’t be around.” Her tone was final as she scooped up her baby. Her Hermione. Narcissa nodded and stood up. She rounded the bed and gathered a still sleeping Draco, giving her sister a soft smile. She’d figure it out, she always did.

“I’m gonna check on Lucius. Yell if you need anything.” 

The door closed leaving Bellatrix alone once more. Hermione gently stirred in her arms, reminding Bellatrix that she would need to eat soon. For the moment, she enjoyed the relative peace. After today there was so much she needed to do. She’d have to lay low for a while. There was no telling what Tom's agenda held now that he had no base, no commander and soon a lack of funding. He was backed in a corner, his wand trained on her baby or not. Dangerous, unpredictable. The last thing she wanted right now was her face on wanted posters plastered around Diagon Alley or in Azkaban far, far away from her family. She surmised she would eventually need to turn herself in lest she be given a heavier sentence at his defeat, because yes, she knew the path he was on led to failure. When one only craves power, that which he seeks slips through his fingers. No, it was best for everyone that he left. Draco could have a full childhood and Cissy could drop that plastered act of perfection once more. She didn’t want to push out another sister for the beliefs she has. The ones she is learning to bend. This cause of his blinded her once and she’d be damned if she’d let him do it again and drag her little girl into it. 

A small tear escaped her eyes as she looked at her little Hermione. The tiny thing was starting to wake and the gentle movements helped calm her racing thoughts. The future would be what it would be. For now, she would have her daughter. Never had Bellatrix felt such peace.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's chapter one! I hope you enjoyed!


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